Dial In Sounds (2002)

Brandtson is a four piece melodic rockband from Cleveland Ohio, with already 2 previous full-lengths and a CDEP out on Deep Elm, but this is my first acquaintance with them. Overall I'd define this music as intelligently built-up songs that mostly have teasing and composed refrains with clean guitars and choruses that burst open the songs thanks to distorted tight guitars. Well, actually the post-hardcore approach I guess, but with a lot of melody in it. As a very nice bonus you get the terrific dual vocals of a couple very decent singers. I take for granted that this tight cocktail of passionate melodic rock songs, powerfull ballads and whirling distorted guitarplay is sure to please many people with a pretty different musictaste; fans of Appleseed Cast, Get Up Kids and even punkbands like NUFAN or why not even Lagwagon thanks to the catchy guitars. The sound is much more mature and intelligently structured though than those 2 last mentioned bands. In fact, I think these guys have found a perfect combination of the modern emotive approach mixed with an agression that is breath-taking sometimes to end up with a melodic sound that at least had me tapping my foot in admiration. Add to that the professional production by Ed Rose and the really brilliant vocal parts and you have Deep Elm's second great release of the year (remember Slowride) to prove that this is label is more than a platform for emo-music. Highlights of the album are the most catchy songs "Some Kind Of Jet Pilot" and "Guest List" and the more laid-back closing song "Fireworks and Phonecalls" with the most beautiful vocal harmonies at the end of the song. In this genre, certainly one of the best things I ever heard. It's not entirely my style, but the rating says it all I guess.